Defence the key for Wigan

Wigan coach Shaun Wane was delighted with his side's defensive efforts as they dominated their Grand Final re-match with Warrington to run out 12-4 winners in the First Utility Super League.

England second rower Liam Farrell scored one try and sent acting captain Blake Green over for another as the Warriors claimed a third win of the season that lifts them above Warrington into sixth place.

"It's a big win for us," Wane said. "I've seen this performance coming.

"We've played well in patches but today we showed some consistency. We showed some real toughness which was the pleasing thing for me.

"I thought we defended really well and we bombed a couple of tries in the first half. I thought we were well deserved winners of that game.

"We spoke about nothing but defence all week and they stood up. The resilience the players showed for young kids was outstanding. It puts us in a real good stead as a club.

"It's a tough place to come but we were very good in difficult conditions."

Wane was especially pleased with the contribution of his half-backs Matty Smith and Green.

"I thought we were smart and the way the half-backs managed the game and guided us around the park was the most pleasing thing for me," he said.

Warrington were hoping to avenge October's 30-16 defeat at Old Trafford but they were never in the hunt in wet and windy conditions at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, where their only try came from an interception by winger Gene Ormsby on the hour.

Coach Tony Smith was disappointed with his side's inability to pose problems for Wigan's defence but was delighted with the way his forwards matched their opponents and singled out captain Ben Westwood for particular praise.

"With the ball we were dreadful, especially in some areas we were very good at last week," Smith said. "We certainly didn't build on that for this week, that's for sure.

"There were a couple of steps backwards with the ball but a couple of steps forward without it.

"I thought we were probably as physical as we've been for a long time. That was a real positive to take from it.

"Ben Westwood is a machine. You could see what he was trying to do for our team. It was a remarkable effort.

"He was an inspiration to watch. He never dies wondering what he can do to get his team across the line. It was an incredible performance for a guy who wasn't on the winning team."

Smith also took consolation from the performance of former Wigan full-back Matty Russell, whose introduction on the hour helped the Wolves produce their best spell of the match.

"We were looking for a spark and Matty sure gave us a spark," Smith said. "He is getting close to forging his way in there.

"He's throwing a whole lot at each of the games he's been and is feeling more comfortable playing without guys."